Thematic Journeys
School Library Media Activities Monthly/Volume XXIII, Number 2/October 2006
Maniac and His Themes
by Gary Zingher
Gary Zingher, previously the library media specialist at Corlears School in New York City and Imagination Consultant at the Children's Workshop in New York City, is the author of At the Pirate Academy (ALA, 1990) and Theme Play: Exciting Young Imaginations (Libraries Unlimited, 2006). Email: zinghertp@optonline.net.
Certain extraordinary works of fiction seem to touch the very heart of childhood. Eloquently written and richly layered, they inspire and provoke us, and we, as library media specialists, may often return to them to cull their wisdom and harvest their themes.
These are books that excite children's interest and can be used to introduce a thematic unit or to illustrate a particular aspect of a theme. A unique, vivid, and affecting main character is essential in such a book—one that children will be drawn to and identify with.
Such a character is the homeless twelve-year-old Jeffrey Lionel "Maniac" Magee in the book Maniac Magee by Jerry Spinelli. Most readers will admire his courage and sense of daring. Those who know him understand what a wonderful friend he would beÑheroic, generous, and fiercely loyal. Any day spent with Maniac Magee would be filled with fantastic episodes.
After all, he's a kid who can untie the most confounding knot and run nimbly on the rail of a train track without ever losing his balance. It would not be a surprise to see his name listed in the Guinness Book of Records.
According to rumor, Maniac, whose parents were killed in a trolley accident, was raised in a cold, tense, unloving environment by an aunt and uncle who despised each other. In fact, these two refused to converse, share the same dishes or appliances, or occupy the same space at any given time.
Their conflicts with each other were quite troubling to Maniac Magee. Eight years after moving in with them, he expressed his frustration and grief through the scream of a lifetime during his school's musical production. He then left behind all that negative energy by running away to the town of Two Mills, Pennsylvania. And running is something he continued to do every day. Soon he became known for both his amazing speed and his "flap-soled sneakers."
Homelessness is one of the dominant themes of this work, and readers can empathize with Maniac's yearnings to belong somewhere and to have his own family. They will be curious to see how he survives. What does he eat? Where does he sleep? When does he bathe? How does he keep warm when it turns cold? What, if anything, does he own? When he is especially lonely?
This novel captures what it might be like not to have a family or home for an anchor, and what it might be like to have to make all the decisions without anyone offering guidance. The whole concept of time becomes quite different when Maniac has to create his own rituals and structure his own days.
When the Beale family takes him in, Maniac goes outside that first night to "look at the three cast-iron digits nailed to the door frame: seven two eight." This is a powerful moment, for now this boy without roots is about to have warmth, companionship, his own room, and, most important, an actual address. Needless to say, he is overjoyed, and can hardly believe his good fortune.
A second theme to consider is the theme of tall tales. The story of Maniac Magee, despite its painful subject matter, contains many elements of a tall tale. It is presented in a humorous and exaggerated style. Maniac has incredible physical prowess, and can perform impossible acts—some indeed breathtaking. He has a way of popping up, doing something astonishing, and then quickly disappearing.
When neighborhood people come together to gossip, he is often the subject, a myth-in-the-making. They are always telling stories and speculating about him, embellishing each incident, especially those who have witnessed one of his jaw-dropping feats.
Some say he can bunt a live "frogball" perfectly when playing baseball, even turning the bunt into a home run. Some say that he can elude an entire high school football team while running with the football in one hand and a borrowed book in the other.
Many will insist that Maniac Magee once rescued a frightened boy from the scariest place in town—803 Oriole Street, the home of the Finsterwalds—and wasn't the least bit worried about getting a case of the "finsterwallies" and the severe trembling that comes with it. Such roughhouse characters as Mars Bar and John McNab will even vouch that these stories are true.
A third theme is racism. Two Mills is a segregated town, divided at Hector Street into two sections: The East Enders are black, the West Enders are white. But Maniac Magee doesn't think in terms of color and connects with individuals from both areas. When he enters the East End, he is neither cautious nor fearful, and it is the Beales, an African American family, who make him feel welcomed and valued.
Unfortunately, others feel differently. They are hostile, distrustful, and some even cynical. They stay in their section and seem ruled and locked in by the town's rigid boundaries. Seeing only what sets them apart from each other, they refuse to acknowledge any common threads or concerns. They don't have Maniac's openness or his sense of harmony and good will.
This is why Maniac is stunned one delightful summer day when everyone seems to be in high spirits, keeping cool, and splashing water from the fire hydrant. Suddenly, an oddly dressed old man singles him out and calls him "Whitey!" and the old man's tone is ugly and disdainful. Clearly this spoils things, breaking the mood. Within seconds, people start to pull away from Maniac Magee, isolating him, and making him feel like an outcast.
This exceptional novel is abundant with such themes as individuality, aloneness, loneliness, family, community, bravado, bullies, death, tolerance, peace, prejudice, and neighborhood lore. Some readers might want to examine the friendship theme and discuss how Maniac developed special bonds with Amanda Beale, a fellow book-lover; Mars Bar, a former enemy; and the kindly caretaker Grayson who lived at the Two Mills YMCA.
Whatever themes are pursued, readers will find it exciting to know Maniac Magee. Perhaps he hated conflict so much because of the sting of his upbringing and the cold, harsh silences he had to deal with day after day. No wonder he turned out to be such a natural peacemaker—he was continually reaching out to bring people together.
Book Citation
Spinelli, Jerry. Maniac Magee. Little, Brown, 1990.